The search for a student job is as old as the need students have to work while in school—to supplement finances and/or get useful work experience in the field they wish to enter after graduation. The ideal student job, naturally, varies from person to person, but I suspect that one requiring no work, and only occasional attendance might appeal to many over-extended students. That was the kind of employment sought by Georgetown student William Joseph Holland in 1900, according to a letter written by George E. Hamilton, Dean of the Law School, to John D. Whitney, S.J., University President, on November 22nd of that year.
In Billy Holland's defense, he was a busy medical student who was also an Olympic athlete. Regarded as one of the best 40 and 50 yard runners in the country, his specialty was actually the 440 yards. He won two silver medals at the Paris Olympics in July 1900, in the 400 meters and the 100 meters handicap, and finished fourth in the 200 meters. Following his Olympic successes, he went on to become Intercollegiate Outdoor Champion in the quarter mile in 1901, with a time of 51 3/5 seconds, and in 1902, with a time of 49 3/5 seconds. He successfully completed his medical education, graduating with the degree of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) in 1903. Whether or not he found the type of student employment he was seeking, records in the archives do not tell us . . .
Lynn Conway, University Archivist
October 20, 2016